Milwaukee Bucks: Roundtable ahead of Toronto Raptors Conference Finals series
By Adam McGee
Describe how you think the series will play out, and what’s your final prediction?
RC: My head wants to say Bucks in 5. Milwaukee beat the brakes off of Boston, who I think are a better team than Philly, and who the Raptors needed a miracle shot to beat in seven. The Bucks come into the series fresher, with a deeper bench, more talent, better coach and home court. Milwaukee is as confident as ever and knows that even if they lose a game, they can bounce-back no problem. To appear humble though, I’ll officially predict a Brandon Jennings. (Bucks in 6).
DL: Digging into the numbers for my article this week, I was astonished by the gap between the two sides so far this post-season. Milwaukee has been miles better than Toronto in most key areas.
Given what Toronto can do if guys like Siakam and Lowry are playing well, the Raptors are more than capable of pushing this series all the way. The key for them, however, is going to be whether they can reshape their identity to deal with what the Bucks can throw at them.
Can Toronto really get consistent high-level production out of Kyle Lowry? Is Pascal Siakam going to be a top-level player, or is he going to look more like the shadow of a player we saw in the final games of their series against Philadelphia? Are Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka going to take and hit enough shots from range to open up the floor for Kawhi and Siakam? It seems like a tall ask to expect a team with several struggling guys to recraft their style in time to beat a team that is truly has been a juggernaut this season.
My final prediction is Bucks in 6, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Bucks do a repeat of what they did to Boston in the Conference Semifinals.
This is a special team. Everyone who’s suffered through years of mediocrity knows what a special moment this is. Like play by play commentator Martin Tyler said after Manchester City scored the winning goal against QPR on the final day of the 2012 Premier League season: “Watch it. Drink it in!”
This is what we’ve waited our whole lives for. Regardless of the outcome, make sure to enjoy this moment.
DB: At the start of the season, I believed that the Celtics were the team to beat in the East and would provide the biggest challenge for the Bucks. At the midseason point, that team switched to the Raptors. They have kept to a similar pace with the Bucks all season.
Now with Kawhi showing heroics few can ever boast about in the Raptors’ playoff run, the Eastern Conference finals looks to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. If the Bucks want to be championship contenders, they will need to take every game as seriously as they would with the Warriors. If they do that then I truly believe they will advance with ease. As a fan that started watching the team in Brandon Jennings’ last games as a Buck, I am still waiting for his prophecy to come to pass. So I am hopeful for a “Bucks in 6” series victory.
RK: As a basketball fan, I am hoping that this will be a competitive series, unlike the previous two for Milwaukee. However, the Bucks are just too dominant and have no blatant personnel or schematic weaknesses. Toronto is too good of a team for me to say Bucks in five, so I’ll say Bucks in six. Heading into the finals after winning the conference finals in six is just so fitting, right?
SR: I had Bucks in 4 over the Pistons (like everyone else did) and Bucks in 7 over the Celtics (whoops). The Celtics’ depth and coaching impact had me fooled, but what really stung was the fact that I actually probably just underestimated the Bucks more than I should have. I’m not making that mistake again, especially if the Bucks take game 1 by a comfortable margin. Let’s get weird, Milwaukee. Bucks in 4.
LW: Milwaukee wins both at home. Toronto answers in Game 3 and then Game 4 is a hard fought contest that decides if the series goes 5 or 6. Milwaukee pulls out a tight one in Game 4 and wraps the series up at home in 5.
BR: I started writing this fully prepared to say Bucks in 6, just like I predicted last series. But then I started going game by game. And I can’t fathom anything more than Bucks in 5. Here’s my game by game predictions: Bucks win Games 1 and 2. Drop Game 3. Win Game 4. Finish it out at home. They won’t lose back-to-back games, and unless there’s another Game 1 letdown, I can’t see them losing a game at home. This is weird for me since I’m very used to being a cautious Bucks fan. But I think I’m ready, guys. It’s time.
JT: I think the Raptors are heading into the series with more questions regarding how they can right the ship within and reclaim the form they sported towards the end of the season. It’s a quick turnaround after such a hard fought series the previous round and the tight schedule in the series adds a residual effect on to that as well. Meanwhile, the Bucks have and continue to pass every test that comes at their feet with flying colors and the consistency they have shown throughout the entire year is as big of an advantage as any one thing when previewing this series.
I’m already tempted to veer away from my original prediction, but I’ll stick with Bucks in 6. It’s for the culture, after all.
For all of your Bucks/Raptors coverage throughout the Conference Finals, stick with us here at Behind the Buck Pass!